I added the Home Depot product to my new home during construction 10 years ago for additional radiant and thermal purposes, lowest energy bills in neighborhood 🤗🤗
I will only install this when I am comfortable with the neighborhood kids coming over to constantly pop my walls. I keed, I keed. I did post a comment about a guy building a ICF home - totally. Walls, floors, roof, the works. Jesse Muller.
Belinda, informative and interesting video as always. Thanks for being upfront about the manufacturer requesting the video and supplying the product. I hope to see you do a video on spray foam insulation soon.
Last year during our heatwave I bought some of that foil-coated bubble wrap you featured for a moment in the video. My metal window frames were reaching 140° and the windows were letting a ton of heat and light into the room. Just a thin layer of that stuff blocked most of the heat radiating off the window. It’s surprisingly effective. I mounted it to the window using Command strips, so it can be easily removed and replaced whenever needed.
Belinda Carr for president! I will vote for you. Love this channel and the common sense it brings to construction issues. I guarantee this way of looking at things would solve most of the world's problems.
We use bubble wrap for some twenty years as insulation in winter. We have a plastic skylight in our second bathroom that looks out in our garage, which is seven meter high and in winter we where losing too much heat thru that skylight and for that reason I put several layers of bubble wrap on it. Works very well and it is the same wrap for all these years, so it lives a long time.
You can encapsulate it (mostly) to improve its fire rating in standard installation scenarios (between studs, etc.). Even spraying with a flame retardant would help. I'm curious about its sound transmission compared to other materials. An overlooked aspect of insulation is sound deadening, especially in urban areas.
For sound proofing I belive a fibrous material will preform much better, this is just a bunch of thin membranes that won't really absorb sound very much at all.
For sound reduction you can best use a double layer of sound reducing plasterbord with a special kit in between them. this works better than any minieral wool
I'm starting a van conversion and I have been looking for a lightweight product like this to insulate with. I will keep you informed if I use it . Thank you.
Make sure you leave a small air gap between the wall of the van and the rolled stuff like this at home depo. It helps keep the damp out. We also use it for our window shades. Keep the silver on one side and we made the other side black for night use.
As always a really good and ambitious video. Thanks Belinda! I have thought about this since a few years but unfortunately came to the conclusion that it must be further developed to be usable for an architect or a builder. Besides the poor fire properties, the main problem is the big molecular size of plastic material in the bubbles. This causes the much smaller air molecules to leak out and bubbles to collapse. My tests has shown that after 3-5 years the bubbles are almost empty amd unusable for isolation. This is also why all tires on cars and bicycles regularly must be refilled and pumped again. Rubber molecules cant stop the small air molecules from slowly leaking out. But I think this concept might have a great potential if further developed.
Air is going to leak out in order to equalize the pressure between the bubble and the atmosphere. I know that some brands of bubble wrap have lower pressure than others (you know those types of bubble wrap that are unsatisfying to pop? it's because they have low air pressure) Bending the insulation around corners, putting other heavy materials on top of it, the air inside heating up and expanding, are all going to increase the pressure inside the bubble and speed up leaking. I can see how even if you had very low pressure in the bubbles at manufacture, in application you are going to have problems. I hope they can figure out a way to make it more air-tight because it looks like an awesome concept!
I had this idea a few months ago, they could potentially make shipment much cheaper by inflating the film on site. Machines that can inflate packing film exist and are inexpensive.
Seems like that would introduce too much complexity for average consumers, and for larger projects with contractors, the cost of labor and waste due to improper inflating would eat away at any shipping savings.
I would guess that those machines only work for very-large-cell or continuous-interior inflatables. The dense sealing pattern of small-cell bubble wrap is likely to be a major hurdle.
I used 1/4" foil bubble wrap on the ceiling of my steel cargo trailer. It worked very well to deter thermal heat from transferring to the inside space. Half way through installing the insulation, I noticed that uncovered areas were emitting intense heat compared with the covered areas. Very impressed with the thermal resistance of the foil bubble insulation. John
This looks like a 21st century product. Hope the building industry is paying attention. They are so slow to evolve into better ways of doing the same old thing. 👍
I saw a homeless guy sleeping in a city park, in Anchorage Alaska, that had wrapped himself up in a sheet of bubble wrap and was sleeping like a baby all snug and cozy. It was winter. And I remember thinking *hmmm, that'd make an interesting insulation for a remote hunting cabin. It rolls up tight, is light and easy to transport on a four-wheeler or small bush plane where space and especially weight is critical. I was considering a remote piece of property at the time and I remember how excited I was, like I had thought of something nobody else had. The cabin never happened and I had forgotten about it, til now. Anyway, cheers from Alaska.
Belinda Carr , The rolls of bubble insulation you show in your video is actually used by a lot of Van lifers and road trip campers. My friend and I shared a huge roll and made window covers for both of our cars windows for our last road trip vacation. It was really nice how it kept the cars interior heat way down. We’d put the window shades up when we left in the morning and it was still cool when we came back in the afternoon. We left one side silver and made the other side black.
I absolutely agree and commend you for your view on plastic. I also think it is a great material that has been abused and misused. We should not stop the use of it but control the use of it.
I built a workshop in Florida with a layer of Reflectix stretched over the rafters, 1x2 nailed over to the rafters over the Reflectix and a galvanized metal roof over that to create a vented roof. I was amazed at the difference in heat gain that it made. It needed very little air conditioning. It made me a big fan of reflective insulation.
Thank you. I am in the middle of conditioned loft project. I bought some bubble wrap insulation for encasing awkward hip purlins, reflecting on the material properties, so this has reinforced my decision.
This product is a perfect solution to the issues I have seen in older 40-80's houses especially in the craw space or foundation space areas with inferior insulation or vapor barrier under the first floor. I lived in many such houses and this product would have been such an easy install/solution to issues we faced. I once considered rockwool batts with netting to support the batts in one house but moved on. If this Bubble wrap & foil home insulation product was available I would have installed it. I held off with the rockwall because I thought it was just not going to prevent the crawlspace air from moving up through the house and may have created a mold issue.
There is a brand that does. I use it when insulation wrapping duct work. I can't remember the name but by itself has a listed R value of 6 when wrapped over R-8 unbacked insulation it totals R-16.
A waste of time it will diffuse away over time although polyethylene is extremely low permeability it is not zero permeability. If it is really worrying just cover it in a layer of plaster or drywall. Though that would be a weight problem for boats.
I live in the desert and I was using reflective sheeting to cover my windows during the summer months. Our parks management prohibited me from using reflectives on my windows so I now use bubble wrap sheeting! Not only does it work just as well if not better, I don't have to experience dark rooms anymore for the summer months! Great video! All the best :)
The DIY camping community has used Refletex for as long as it's been out. I've insulated everything from my camp chairs to water bottles with it in order to save weight on the trail
Thinking about putting in insulation in the roof of my garage, this might be the product for me. Theres not much room in the rafters and I don't want to handle toxic/dangerous/irritating materials
Lay it across the rafters not with them. Then Tape it off. No More heat loss out thru the roof. Use the 4 foot wide with a staple hammer. Staple one side to the rafter than smack the ADB SO IT HAS AN INCH OF SLACK THEN STAPLE THE OTHER SIDE KEEP GOING ACROSS THE RAFTERS.
I used a similar product under the steel roof of my shed, it works very good for keeping heat out in summer and the inside of the roof doesn't condensate when it gets frosty in winter.
I continually learn new things on this channel, things that I probably don't seek out to know about. However, the best thing about it is that I derive a lot of enjoyment while learning new things. These things are what I consider dry and not interesting, but Belinda makes them interesting. She should be a teacher, not an engineer. What do you do for a living, Belinda? I wish other channels can be this educational and enjoyable, yet practical.
I have concerns of the product lasting 70 years. That is a lot of heat cycles, and I'd say the climate variance in the US is quite different than Denmark. At least with conventional products about the worst that happens over time is slumping, and that is more installation error than product. At least in my experience.
To contribute, I've experience of standard bubble wrap surviving the elements of the UK in external use for twenty years in use on commercial greenhouses. In that time and unprotected there was deterioration, but it was still functional and not in need of replacement. From the same roll kept in an open barn (roof, but only walled on two sides) there was no discernible difference to new bubble wrap. There's an awful lot of difference between 20 and 70 years, so I'm not arguing with you, just inputting my experience.
I have a similar experience to Callum. 11 years ago, we built a small greenhouse in our backyard and sandwiched bubble wrap between two layers of corrugated polycarbonate roofing to make the roof more insulated. Our yard is in a high elevation desert and gets intense heat, UV, and cold; 50° temperature differences between day and night are fairly common. The bubbles still look just fine and haven't deteriorated. I thought the UV would destroy it after a few years but it still looks surprisingly good.
I have used the "double bubble" products you can get from venders that is about 3/8" thick that has a foil layer on one side and white layer on the other side, and that stuff is ridiculously tough. Seriously durable in my experience using it for a variety of purposes.
i love your videos and your transparency so much. its been so refreshing to come across your channel, ive definitely been recommending your videos left and right! the carbon emissions from plastic are counter intuitively, really low! you're right there, its just they take forever to degrade, why not put it into a house that should (ideally) last for a long time! thats why i still support plastic, but only for certain uses, and realistically, recycling plastic isnt as easy as its made out to be, and only very specific kinds can be recycled. the petroleum industry was so successful on putting the burden of us to deal with the responsibility of recycling and reusing and "reducing" when in fact theyre the ones profiting off of using cheap packaging materials that wont break down.
I don't know if things are done the same way in the USA as they are done here in Australia. However, here it's common for builders to lay a thick plastic sheet down as a moisture barrier when they prepare and area for a cement slab to be poured. At one construction site I passed a few times on the way to work I saw them laying double sheets of bubble wrap on top of the moisture barrier plastic, so I stopped and asked about it. The builder said the bubble wrap was a cheap way to greatly reduce heat loss through the cement slab into the ground, and thus keep the house warmer in winter. That was a good idea as they were building ins a snow prone area.
My dad Is a pre engineered steel builder (sentry builders) in AZ. He use to use a foil backed bubble wrap type of insulation in his buildings for those that only wanted a low r value insulation.
having multiple vapor barriers in a wall assembly is a mold problem waiting to happen. if i ever used this i would make sure its inside the insulation for a cold climate and really well sealed. i had only seen the one layer type before. thanks Belinda
I've been waiting for this episode - very informative and excellent, as always. I'm sure the fire retardant issues will be sorted, and overtime the prices will drop. I wouldn't be surprised if some people made their own DIY versions to keep the costs down.
I had 4" fiberglass insulation on my water heater. Took it off and wrapped 2 layers of the mylar bubble wrap from home Depot. I ment to rewrap over it with the fiberglass, but didn't get around to it. The 2 layer mylar bubble wrap reduced my energy use on my water heater by a minimum 3 to 4x! When I get around to it, I plan on fixing the hole in the outside door to the water closet, and insulating the interior of the walls with more of that. I literally can just staple or glue it to the walls and be done with it.
Where and how should it be placed? I have read a lot that it should be placed at least 1 inch from the wall, but what if you use the reflectics an inch away from the outside wall - THEN you put regular fiberglass insulation in? Should this be put on LAST - after you put in fiberglass insulation, an inch away from it? What if both sides of the reflectix has shiny parts? Is that okay? Ive seen that this only lasts up to 20 years and then starts chipping off. Should I close this up in my walls because of this? I see a lot of the science you are speaking of, and thats all super helpful but I dont know the best way to actually install this as there are many opinions out there. Also, plastic and mylar do give off toxic fumes when burned. I dont recommend burning plastic and trying to breathe it.
SOLD! Going to put into my shed. Always feel like i just left my chemistry class! Is there a place you can buy this in the US? can't seem to find anything.
There are applications where this product really shines. Under concrete slab, RV's and tiny homes. Also retrofit or supplemental applications where a vapor barrier that insulates is a real time/money saver.
Interesting suggestion, _under slab_ , as more and more states are banning XPS (or all blown styrene) building products. Lack of rigidity may be both a plus and a minus. Surely it will want to float, where a board is simply ballasted by the concrete. I imagine it could be difficult in this application because of ruptures from rebar and installers needing to walk on it, but we definitely need an alternative insulation product.
I learned from a physicist in the 70s who once worked for NASA, that aluminum reflects 94% of the infrared energy. They built satellites with this idea, multiple layers of aluminum foil. The key was that the layers had to be isolated from touching each other. The first layer has 94% reflection. In the second layer, 94% of the escaped 6%, etc... The heat of the electronics kept the interior warm enough to continuously work in the cold space where no heat exists. I lined the interior of my boat with foam and aluminum for the winters of AK. The foam also provided for flotation too.
Sticking literal bubble wrap on windows as a bit of extra insulation is somewhat common in South Korea. Energy pricing is often pretty aggressively 'tiered', so folks tend to be really interested in keeping on that lowest tier of usage and every little bit helps. Adding in a mylar/mylar-like layer is clever. Good for this company. BTW: Some museums have had the opposite problem with humidity during the pandemic. No visitors so the air getting too dry for the HVAC system (designed for having visitors) to handle.
Have watched most of your videos. Appreciate your work. Am looking for a way to keep my existing attic cooler in Summer, having seen how hot it gets up there (by use of a remote thermometer. I did put in wool insulation on the ceiling areas, but I figure by insulating the roof rafters that will help even more. Found "Double Reflective Insulation Radiant Barrier" at Home Depot. A 4' x 100' roll is $166, which is $.332/sq ft. Photos show it being stapled to the surface of the rafters, which would make it easy to install. Seems this would create an air pocket between the roof and the foil, which would provide some insulation to the attic. Next challenge (from watching your videos) is making sure there aren't problems with water or fire. I.e., water vapor can evaporate, roof leaks drain in a way that doesn't lead to disaster, and fires aren't made worse. I presume its highly fire resistant so that isn't an issue. As for drainage, maybe it's best to leave some holes and gaps in it. While that defeats the goal of insulation somewhat, I expect it would be minor.
This seems like a good product I love your channel, I'm building a 500sqft home and I'm starting to make it as close to passive as I can afford this may be a good option to replace the vapor barrier plus provide a little more R-value with less chance of thermal drift.
In the Netherlands these kinds of materials have been available for years. I have used a multi foil myself years ago in my little motorboat. works perfect. It is als often used as a second layer of insulatien, in combination with a miniral wool. this is needed in order to get the high Thermal resistance rating that the law requires without an 50 cm thick wall
If their is an air gap with drainage between it and the outside of the wall I would probably put a thin layer of something like this under the siding but on the far side of the air gap from the walls. That way it doesn't trap moisture in the walls, and can still reflect radiative heat supplementing a high R-value layer of insulation.
Seems like a great idea in concept. I have considered it since the early 1980's. I have seen similar products at home and garden shows for nearly as long. However, I have always stopped when I considered the flammability of the materials commonly used in this.
I love your channel so much! So, you think it’s a suitable material for insulating a bus? I would love to see you do a video on the best insulators for bus and van builds.
Thank you for this! I was considering the bubble insulation (the one from Home Depot) for my shed and I was on the fence about it. Now that I have more information I can make a better decision.
This product is poorly designed by someone who doesn't understand the basics of radiative energy transfer. The reflective aluminum layer is sandwiched between two or more layers of optically clear but thermally (IR) opaque polymer layers (the 'bubble wrap'). When used within a wall cavity as thermal barrier, 100% of radiative heat transfer is in the IR, which is absorbed by the polymer layers. This leaves no thermal energy to be 'reflected' back to the source (interior or the exterior). If the exterior surfaces of the bubble wrap are finished with the aluminum layers, the whole thing will act as a good conductive. convective radiative barrier."'Reflectix" brand insulation better since both exterior surfaces are aluminum and act as a good IR reflector.
That stuff's been available in N. America for a while. It's good for making window shades to protect the interiors of vehicles, boats, and aircraft. (Easy to cut and doesn't create nasty fibres.)
IN australia, the foil backed insulations was installed in part , nation wide as part of bungled rebate programme. Aswell as the mould issues mentioned, 2 workers died from electrocution as a result of exposed wires in a roof. Another issue to consider here.
I like how you say that people mistakenly equate mass with quality. I feel that same issue applies when discussing brick buildings vs lumber framed buildings. Europeans feel that American houses are "flimsy" because they are made of wood. In fact American houses fare better when you look at actual quantifiable properties like insulation and earthquake survivability. I'd like you to make an episode where you compare American style lumber framed houses with European brick houses.
Seems like a good thing for the roof of my house in Portugal. It would also be good for use as a layer in solar heaters so long as it is protected by say rock wool. On that subject I would like to hear your opinions on pop or beer can solar heaters. On the subject of recycling plastic I am a strong believer in either burning it for energy or converting it to fuel oil. Recycling requires that some new plastic be added making an inferior product and if you think about it that is a mathematically absurd proposition tending to infinity.
I love your content. In this comparison, no mention of sound insulation is made. Buildings in urban areas and multifamily buildings would benefit from sound insulation. I would enjoy hearing your take on the subject.
It's funny, I've used this stuff to insulate the new bath on the underside (I'm from the Netherlands). It's easy to work with, no dangerous particles are released when cutting it and you just tape it on there.
I think the biggest drawback for me with this product would be the low fire resistance. Up here in Canada, we get cold winters with lots of snow, which means lots of heaters running, which in turn causes a higher risk of fire. I'd be interested to see if doubling up the thickness of this product would increase its thermal insulation value, or if that would be necessary at all. Most homes are built with 2x4 or 2x6 construction, so it being only just over 2" thick might make for larger air gaps in wall cavities.
That is a very interesting product. It does look like it can trap air, but the only thing is will the air still get in where the staples or nails/ screws are installed. In winter, Canada sees very low temperatures and the insulation will be tested. I can't even imagine the heat in attics in texas.
@@darkoampem i also think any material will have cold or warm bridges because of nails or screws used to fasten them. Closed cell foam is a good product that is applied without those and is a vapour barrier. But this radiant barrier stuff is very interesting.
Products using reflective bubplewrap have been marketed for attics in hot climates for some time. Some fast-talking salesmen were trying to sell it to my brother in Phoenix for his attic, I told him to forget it and just get the regular blown in stuff. I have some issues with this. Since this kind of product is a low perm vapor barrier, miosture issues are a big potential. "if it can't dry, it's gonna die!" Is my mantra. In attics, I've seen failures of polyethylene over time, it can't take the heat and just falls into shreds by itself. agreed this might have some cool niche markets where space and weight are a premium. Continuous insulation on a wall which can dry to the other side might work. I'm really skeptical.
Interesting product and detailed commentary. I've installed and removed rockwool (ecowool) in Australia in one of my lives as a labourer and can see many advantages in the handling of this product. Trying to shift public sentiment would be the biggest challenge as you say, especially in such a conservative country like my own.
ive put this isolation on to the lower part of my windows since the cold streams low and heat goes high.. if you have cold windows in your hallways doublewrap it.. i use magnet tape to remove it in the summer.. 5 years and still works great, also alot less burning gas in the winter..
in older buildings it some towns of Japan they freeze bubble wrap onto windows in winter for added insulation. and when it warms up it slides right off
Our local community hall was wrapped with a Reflectix product, then covered with siding. After spending $30,000, the heating bills have not fallen one bit. I spoke to an engineer about this and he said these reflective barriers are a scam, and no reputable contractor would ever use them. The actual R-value is generally accepted as being no more than 0.8 and I see that our local building supply place warns that no performance promises are being made. Spend your money on air-sealing and real insulation; don't be taken in by fly-by-night contractors!
I'm surprised to hear it's not commonly used. IIRC we foil-wrapped the house we built (10-15 yrs ago), the product looked similar but was bonded together as a continuous single layer. It was just part of the overall insulation tho, I think we also had fibre-batts in there too.
I live in a trailer with pretty bad insulation. Its actually pretty common to put aluminum foil on our windows here in Georgia. So i'm gonna look into finding or making a similar product and testing it out now that colder weather is coming. The windows and my closet all so much heat transfer its crazy. Putting my hand near the base of the door on my closet feels very cold. I'm gonna get some different sized bubblewrap with some foil and see how it works for small temporary insulation
It's great at reflecting heat, but also a conductor (like metals generally are). The bubble wrap is a poor conductor (air pockets and plastic). The combination allows it to work. Just aluminum foil on a surface would seem like a bad idea. Check at a local Hardware store/DIY store if they have products like this. Look for radiator reflector / radiator foil and see if they have any with this system, they are thinner than what's talked about in the video, but it's also not used as the main insulation (I'm from The Netherlands, so things might be different there). I have this (thinner version) on the wall behind a radiator, which a great place to use it, reflects heat and in the end saves heating cost.
That's really funny, I was in an insulation shop because I'm doing a van conversion and the guy there recommended some aluminum faced bubble wrap as insulation and I thought he was a clown and a con man... but apparently there's something to this.
What is the R-Value per INCH? How long does it last? Since it reflects heat, how much additional damage is done to the roof/shingles since they cannot cool as well? The more air tight the building the more Radon Gas you have to worry about. Vast majority of A/C systems are undersized. Builders put those in for cost cutting. Given the choice I would go with foil backed foam board insulation.
I used this in my garden cabin 3 years ago, just made it myself, it's just bubble wrap & foil, very cheap, but I wouldn't use this in a larger building due to it's lack of fire resistance.
Man I love this channel. She is always on the cutting edge of architecture and building materials. One of the most underrated channels on TH-cam.
This is what I love about the internet. Exchanging of ideas and good conversations about the subject at hand. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Hard AF right now
I’m 64 years old and when I grow up, I want to be as smart as Belinda
You have to be born Indian😜
I'm not sure I'll be grown up by 64, it might never happen 😁
Lame
The fashion argument was the strongest. I’m sold.
I added the Home Depot product to my new home during construction 10 years ago for additional radiant and thermal purposes, lowest energy bills in neighborhood 🤗🤗
Did you put in walls with the insulation
I will only install this when I am comfortable with the neighborhood kids coming over to constantly pop my walls.
I keed, I keed.
I did post a comment about a guy building a ICF home - totally. Walls, floors, roof, the works. Jesse Muller.
"plastic is an incredible human invention."
hells yes. thank you!
And if you don't like the house, you can ship it away. No need to worry about wrapping.
Belinda, informative and interesting video as always. Thanks for being upfront about the manufacturer requesting the video and supplying the product. I hope to see you do a video on spray foam insulation soon.
It's weird that it's so thin, but I've used an emergency blanket before. Those are super thin, but reflective and VERY warm.
and entertaining... you can pop the air cells all night long
Someone recently told me he used emergency blankets to insulate his attic
**it doubles as high fashun**
I laughed really hard xD
Last year during our heatwave I bought some of that foil-coated bubble wrap you featured for a moment in the video. My metal window frames were reaching 140° and the windows were letting a ton of heat and light into the room. Just a thin layer of that stuff blocked most of the heat radiating off the window. It’s surprisingly effective. I mounted it to the window using Command strips, so it can be easily removed and replaced whenever needed.
Belinda Carr for president! I will vote for you. Love this channel and the common sense it brings to construction issues. I guarantee this way of looking at things would solve most of the world's problems.
I love your take on plastic being eco-friendly. It's up to us to find the best use for the materials that are available to us!
We use bubble wrap for some twenty years as insulation in winter. We have a plastic skylight in our second bathroom that looks out in our garage, which is seven meter high and in winter we where losing too much heat thru that skylight and for that reason I put several layers of bubble wrap on it. Works very well and it is the same wrap for all these years, so it lives a long time.
You can encapsulate it (mostly) to improve its fire rating in standard installation scenarios (between studs, etc.). Even spraying with a flame retardant would help.
I'm curious about its sound transmission compared to other materials. An overlooked aspect of insulation is sound deadening, especially in urban areas.
For sound proofing I belive a fibrous material will preform much better, this is just a bunch of thin membranes that won't really absorb sound very much at all.
For sound reduction you can best use a double layer of sound reducing plasterbord with a special kit in between them. this works better than any minieral wool
Nikdo is correct. This insulation is used in my Yurt and 0 sound insulation is generous. Heating and cooling insulation properties are good.
WHAT?
I'm starting a van conversion and I have been looking for a lightweight product like this to insulate with. I will keep you informed if I use it . Thank you.
I am converting a bus, I think this is the way to go for our build.
George, please update us, if you did this. Would be very interesting to understand more about it.
@@albaugh1818
Did you use it, or choose something else?
Make sure you leave a small air gap between the wall of the van and the rolled stuff like this at home depo. It helps keep the damp out. We also use it for our window shades. Keep the silver on one side and we made the other side black for night use.
As always a really good and ambitious video. Thanks Belinda!
I have thought about this since a few years but unfortunately came to the conclusion that it must be further developed to be usable for an architect or a builder. Besides the poor fire properties, the main problem is the big molecular size of plastic material in the bubbles. This causes the much smaller air molecules to leak out and bubbles to collapse. My tests has shown that after 3-5 years the bubbles are almost empty amd unusable for isolation. This is also why all tires on cars and bicycles regularly must be refilled and pumped again. Rubber molecules cant stop the small air molecules from slowly leaking out.
But I think this concept might have a great potential if further developed.
Air is going to leak out in order to equalize the pressure between the bubble and the atmosphere.
I know that some brands of bubble wrap have lower pressure than others (you know those types of bubble wrap that are unsatisfying to pop? it's because they have low air pressure)
Bending the insulation around corners, putting other heavy materials on top of it, the air inside heating up and expanding, are all going to increase the pressure inside the bubble and speed up leaking.
I can see how even if you had very low pressure in the bubbles at manufacture, in application you are going to have problems.
I hope they can figure out a way to make it more air-tight because it looks like an awesome concept!
I had this idea a few months ago, they could potentially make shipment much cheaper by inflating the film on site. Machines that can inflate packing film exist and are inexpensive.
Seems like that would introduce too much complexity for average consumers, and for larger projects with contractors, the cost of labor and waste due to improper inflating would eat away at any shipping savings.
I would guess that those machines only work for very-large-cell or continuous-interior inflatables. The dense sealing pattern of small-cell bubble wrap is likely to be a major hurdle.
Loved your final scene. We all love to pop bubble wrap 🤩
I used 1/4" foil bubble wrap on the ceiling of my steel cargo trailer. It worked very well to deter thermal heat from transferring to the inside space. Half way through installing the insulation, I noticed that uncovered areas were emitting intense heat compared with the covered areas. Very impressed with the thermal resistance of the foil bubble insulation.
John
This looks like a 21st century product. Hope the building industry is paying attention. They are so slow to evolve into better ways of doing the same old thing. 👍
I saw a homeless guy sleeping in a city park, in Anchorage Alaska, that had wrapped himself up in a sheet of bubble wrap and was sleeping like a baby all snug and cozy. It was winter. And I remember thinking *hmmm, that'd make an interesting insulation for a remote hunting cabin. It rolls up tight, is light and easy to transport on a four-wheeler or small bush plane where space and especially weight is critical. I was considering a remote piece of property at the time and I remember how excited I was, like I had thought of something nobody else had. The cabin never happened and I had forgotten about it, til now. Anyway, cheers from Alaska.
Belinda Carr , The rolls of bubble insulation you show in your video is actually used by a lot of Van lifers and road trip campers. My friend and I shared a huge roll and made window covers for both of our cars windows for our last road trip vacation. It was really nice how it kept the cars interior heat way down. We’d put the window shades up when we left in the morning and it was still cool when we came back in the afternoon. We left one side silver and made the other side black.
I absolutely agree and commend you for your view on plastic. I also think it is a great material that has been abused and misused. We should not stop the use of it but control the use of it.
I built a workshop in Florida with a layer of Reflectix stretched over the rafters, 1x2 nailed over to the rafters over the Reflectix and a galvanized metal roof over that to create a vented roof. I was amazed at the difference in heat gain that it made. It needed very little air conditioning. It made me a big fan of reflective insulation.
Thank you. I am in the middle of conditioned loft project. I bought some bubble wrap insulation for encasing awkward hip purlins, reflecting on the material properties, so this has reinforced my decision.
This product is a perfect solution to the issues I have seen in older 40-80's houses especially in the craw space or foundation space areas with inferior insulation or vapor barrier under the first floor. I lived in many such houses and this product would have been such an easy install/solution to issues we faced. I once considered rockwool batts with netting to support the batts in one house but moved on. If this Bubble wrap & foil home insulation product was available I would have installed it. I held off with the rockwall because I thought it was just not going to prevent the crawlspace air from moving up through the house and may have created a mold issue.
They should fill the bubbles with Nitrogen, so that it acts as an extinguisher in case the house catches fire.
There is a brand that does. I use it when insulation wrapping duct work. I can't remember the name but by itself has a listed R value of 6 when wrapped over R-8 unbacked insulation it totals R-16.
Good idea
A waste of time it will diffuse away over time although polyethylene is extremely low permeability it is not zero permeability. If it is really worrying just cover it in a layer of plaster or drywall. Though that would be a weight problem for boats.
I doubt it would be enough to matter even if it didn't diffuse
Or CO2. That will have the same effect but also capture heat better. It is a larger molecule so it might diffuse slower as well.
Belinda we missed you!
I live in the desert and I was using reflective sheeting to cover my windows during the summer months. Our parks management prohibited me from using reflectives on my windows so I now use bubble wrap sheeting! Not only does it work just as well if not better, I don't have to experience dark rooms anymore for the summer months! Great video! All the best :)
Your park management what ?
Incredible !
@@--973-- reflection might get into other homes or cars in the neighbourhood..
@@omarsoulay4764 for free
The DIY camping community has used Refletex for as long as it's been out. I've insulated everything from my camp chairs to water bottles with it in order to save weight on the trail
Thinking about putting in insulation in the roof of my garage, this might be the product for me. Theres not much room in the rafters and I don't want to handle toxic/dangerous/irritating materials
Lay it across the rafters not with them. Then Tape it off. No More heat loss out thru the roof. Use the 4 foot wide with a staple hammer. Staple one side to the rafter than smack the ADB SO IT HAS AN INCH OF SLACK THEN STAPLE THE OTHER SIDE KEEP GOING ACROSS THE RAFTERS.
I used a similar product under the steel roof of my shed, it works very good for keeping heat out in summer and the inside of the roof doesn't condensate when it gets frosty in winter.
Another winning video, Belinda! Thank you!
Whare have you been all my life? This is knowledge that humans need to know. All your stuff.
I continually learn new things on this channel, things that I probably don't seek out to know about. However, the best thing about it is that I derive a lot of enjoyment while learning new things. These things are what I consider dry and not interesting, but Belinda makes them interesting. She should be a teacher, not an engineer. What do you do for a living, Belinda? I wish other channels can be this educational and enjoyable, yet practical.
Very much looking forward to a video on spray foams! They’ve fascinated me as the combination air sealer, vapor barrier, and insulator.
I have concerns of the product lasting 70 years. That is a lot of heat cycles, and I'd say the climate variance in the US is quite different than Denmark. At least with conventional products about the worst that happens over time is slumping, and that is more installation error than product. At least in my experience.
To contribute, I've experience of standard bubble wrap surviving the elements of the UK in external use for twenty years in use on commercial greenhouses. In that time and unprotected there was deterioration, but it was still functional and not in need of replacement. From the same roll kept in an open barn (roof, but only walled on two sides) there was no discernible difference to new bubble wrap.
There's an awful lot of difference between 20 and 70 years, so I'm not arguing with you, just inputting my experience.
@@callum_boss Thanks for the information. I think it has value as your example would be more on the worst case scenario side.
I have a similar experience to Callum. 11 years ago, we built a small greenhouse in our backyard and sandwiched bubble wrap between two layers of corrugated polycarbonate roofing to make the roof more insulated. Our yard is in a high elevation desert and gets intense heat, UV, and cold; 50° temperature differences between day and night are fairly common. The bubbles still look just fine and haven't deteriorated. I thought the UV would destroy it after a few years but it still looks surprisingly good.
I have used the "double bubble" products you can get from venders that is about 3/8" thick that has a foil layer on one side and white layer on the other side, and that stuff is ridiculously tough. Seriously durable in my experience using it for a variety of purposes.
i love your videos and your transparency so much. its been so refreshing to come across your channel, ive definitely been recommending your videos left and right!
the carbon emissions from plastic are counter intuitively, really low! you're right there, its just they take forever to degrade, why not put it into a house that should (ideally) last for a long time! thats why i still support plastic, but only for certain uses, and realistically, recycling plastic isnt as easy as its made out to be, and only very specific kinds can be recycled. the petroleum industry was so successful on putting the burden of us to deal with the responsibility of recycling and reusing and "reducing" when in fact theyre the ones profiting off of using cheap packaging materials that wont break down.
I don't know if things are done the same way in the USA as they are done here in Australia. However, here it's common for builders to lay a thick plastic sheet down as a moisture barrier when they prepare and area for a cement slab to be poured. At one construction site I passed a few times on the way to work I saw them laying double sheets of bubble wrap on top of the moisture barrier plastic, so I stopped and asked about it. The builder said the bubble wrap was a cheap way to greatly reduce heat loss through the cement slab into the ground, and thus keep the house warmer in winter. That was a good idea as they were building ins a snow prone area.
It is cool but moisture build up seems like a big issue.
It will be interesting to know the longevity of the PE material in the super-high heat of an attic. Only time will answer that question.
My dad Is a pre engineered steel builder (sentry builders) in AZ. He use to use a foil backed bubble wrap type of insulation in his buildings for those that only wanted a low r value insulation.
wow, what's the thickness of the HDPE on the bubble wrap? as long as they dont pop, right
4:08 THANK YOU! Finally, someone who agrees with me!
Single-use plastics are the problem, not plastic in general.
having multiple vapor barriers in a wall assembly is a mold problem waiting to happen. if i ever used this i would make sure its inside the insulation for a cold climate and really well sealed. i had only seen the one layer type before. thanks Belinda
I've been waiting for this episode - very informative and excellent, as always. I'm sure the fire retardant issues will be sorted, and overtime the prices will drop.
I wouldn't be surprised if some people made their own DIY versions to keep the costs down.
I had 4" fiberglass insulation on my water heater. Took it off and wrapped 2 layers of the mylar bubble wrap from home Depot.
I ment to rewrap over it with the fiberglass, but didn't get around to it.
The 2 layer mylar bubble wrap reduced my energy use on my water heater by a minimum 3 to 4x!
When I get around to it, I plan on fixing the hole in the outside door to the water closet, and insulating the interior of the walls with more of that. I literally can just staple or glue it to the walls and be done with it.
Where and how should it be placed? I have read a lot that it should be placed at least 1 inch from the wall, but what if you use the reflectics an inch away from the outside wall - THEN you put regular fiberglass insulation in? Should this be put on LAST - after you put in fiberglass insulation, an inch away from it? What if both sides of the reflectix has shiny parts? Is that okay? Ive seen that this only lasts up to 20 years and then starts chipping off. Should I close this up in my walls because of this? I see a lot of the science you are speaking of, and thats all super helpful but I dont know the best way to actually install this as there are many opinions out there. Also, plastic and mylar do give off toxic fumes when burned. I dont recommend burning plastic and trying to breathe it.
SOLD! Going to put into my shed. Always feel like i just left my chemistry class! Is there a place you can buy this in the US? can't seem to find anything.
There are applications where this product really shines. Under concrete slab, RV's and tiny homes. Also retrofit or supplemental applications where a vapor barrier that insulates is a real time/money saver.
Interesting suggestion, _under slab_ , as more and more states are banning XPS (or all blown styrene) building products.
Lack of rigidity may be both a plus and a minus. Surely it will want to float, where a board is simply ballasted by the concrete.
I imagine it could be difficult in this application because of ruptures from rebar and installers needing to walk on it, but we definitely need an alternative insulation product.
Oh WOW! I found a new use for all my popped bubble-wrap. I would love doing this type of insulation.
leave the air in!!
I learned from a physicist in the 70s who once worked for NASA, that aluminum reflects 94% of the infrared energy. They built satellites with this idea, multiple layers of aluminum foil. The key was that the layers had to be isolated from touching each other. The first layer has 94% reflection. In the second layer, 94% of the escaped 6%, etc... The heat of the electronics kept the interior warm enough to continuously work in the cold space where no heat exists. I lined the interior of my boat with foam and aluminum for the winters of AK. The foam also provided for flotation too.
Sticking literal bubble wrap on windows as a bit of extra insulation is somewhat common in South Korea. Energy pricing is often pretty aggressively 'tiered', so folks tend to be really interested in keeping on that lowest tier of usage and every little bit helps.
Adding in a mylar/mylar-like layer is clever. Good for this company.
BTW: Some museums have had the opposite problem with humidity during the pandemic. No visitors so the air getting too dry for the HVAC system (designed for having visitors) to handle.
Have watched most of your videos. Appreciate your work.
Am looking for a way to keep my existing attic cooler in Summer, having seen how hot it gets up there (by use of a remote thermometer. I did put in wool insulation on the ceiling areas, but I figure by insulating the roof rafters that will help even more. Found "Double Reflective Insulation Radiant Barrier" at Home Depot. A 4' x 100' roll is $166, which is $.332/sq ft. Photos show it being stapled to the surface of the rafters, which would make it easy to install. Seems this would create an air pocket between the roof and the foil, which would provide some insulation to the attic. Next challenge (from watching your videos) is making sure there aren't problems with water or fire. I.e., water vapor can evaporate, roof leaks drain in a way that doesn't lead to disaster, and fires aren't made worse. I presume its highly fire resistant so that isn't an issue. As for drainage, maybe it's best to leave some holes and gaps in it. While that defeats the goal of insulation somewhat, I expect it would be minor.
This seems like a good product I love your channel, I'm building a 500sqft home and I'm starting to make it as close to passive as I can afford this may be a good option to replace the vapor barrier plus provide a little more R-value with less chance of thermal drift.
In the Netherlands these kinds of materials have been available for years. I have used a multi foil myself years ago in my little motorboat. works perfect. It is als often used as a second layer of insulatien, in combination with a miniral wool. this is needed in order to get the high Thermal resistance rating that the law requires without an 50 cm thick wall
If their is an air gap with drainage between it and the outside of the wall I would probably put a thin layer of something like this under the siding but on the far side of the air gap from the walls. That way it doesn't trap moisture in the walls, and can still reflect radiative heat supplementing a high R-value layer of insulation.
Seems like a great idea in concept. I have considered it since the early 1980's. I have seen similar products at home and garden shows for nearly as long. However, I have always stopped when I considered the flammability of the materials commonly used in this.
I love your channel so much! So, you think it’s a suitable material for insulating a bus? I would love to see you do a video on the best insulators for bus and van builds.
This is the type of insulation used in modern yurts. We live in a 30 foot yurt with 10 foot walls and this insulation works great. Blue Ridge Yurts.
Considering I have more issues keeping the heat out in summer than keeping it in in winter, I'll check this out for my south facing roof!
One recent winter, it was very cold. I put bubble wrap on the glass in my windows for insulation. It helped.
Thank you for this! I was considering the bubble insulation (the one from Home Depot) for my shed and I was on the fence about it. Now that I have more information I can make a better decision.
Another great video Belinda!
This product is poorly designed by someone who doesn't understand the basics of radiative energy transfer. The reflective aluminum layer is sandwiched between two or more layers of optically clear but thermally (IR) opaque polymer layers (the 'bubble wrap'). When used within a wall cavity as thermal barrier, 100% of radiative heat transfer is in the IR, which is absorbed by the polymer layers. This leaves no thermal energy to be 'reflected' back to the source (interior or the exterior). If the exterior surfaces of the bubble wrap are finished with the aluminum layers, the whole thing will act as a good conductive. convective radiative barrier."'Reflectix" brand insulation better since both exterior surfaces are aluminum and act as a good IR reflector.
Great video.
This insulation solution is great.
Kids would be eager to help (pop.. I mean install) this stuff too!
Always so thoroughly explained.
Thanks
What about foil faced fiberglass, how does it compare, particularly in the north.
Popping your insulation for stress relief.
That stuff's been available in N. America for a while. It's good for making window shades to protect the interiors of vehicles, boats, and aircraft. (Easy to cut and doesn't create nasty fibres.)
IN australia, the foil backed insulations was installed in part , nation wide as part of bungled rebate programme. Aswell as the mould issues mentioned, 2 workers died from electrocution as a result of exposed wires in a roof. Another issue to consider here.
I like how you say that people mistakenly equate mass with quality. I feel that same issue applies when discussing brick buildings vs lumber framed buildings. Europeans feel that American houses are "flimsy" because they are made of wood. In fact American houses fare better when you look at actual quantifiable properties like insulation and earthquake survivability. I'd like you to make an episode where you compare American style lumber framed houses with European brick houses.
I’ve learned more from this channel than reading an architectural book
Seems like a good thing for the roof of my house in Portugal. It would also be good for use as a layer in solar heaters so long as it is protected by say rock wool.
On that subject I would like to hear your opinions on pop or beer can solar heaters. On the subject of recycling plastic I am a strong believer in either burning it for energy or converting it to fuel oil.
Recycling requires that some new plastic be added making an inferior product and if you think about it that is a mathematically absurd proposition tending to infinity.
I always wondered if bubble wrap and aluminum would be a good insulator. Seems to be :)
I love your content. In this comparison, no mention of sound insulation is made. Buildings in urban areas and multifamily buildings would benefit from sound insulation. I would enjoy hearing your take on the subject.
"Doubles as high fashion," lol.
Awesome video.
It's funny, I've used this stuff to insulate the new bath on the underside (I'm from the Netherlands). It's easy to work with, no dangerous particles are released when cutting it and you just tape it on there.
I think the biggest drawback for me with this product would be the low fire resistance. Up here in Canada, we get cold winters with lots of snow, which means lots of heaters running, which in turn causes a higher risk of fire. I'd be interested to see if doubling up the thickness of this product would increase its thermal insulation value, or if that would be necessary at all. Most homes are built with 2x4 or 2x6 construction, so it being only just over 2" thick might make for larger air gaps in wall cavities.
That is a very interesting product. It does look like it can trap air, but the only thing is will the air still get in where the staples or nails/ screws are installed. In winter, Canada sees very low temperatures and the insulation will be tested. I can't even imagine the heat in attics in texas.
I imagine in a really cold environment you would have to be very careful about having any cold bridges. The low weight is a massive win though.
@@darkoampem it's interesting because this is pretty much the same stuff as say what I see in my lunch bag.
@@darkoampem i also think any material will have cold or warm bridges because of nails or screws used to fasten them. Closed cell foam is a good product that is applied without those and is a vapour barrier. But this radiant barrier stuff is very interesting.
Really love your channel and all the videos on insulation. Have you done any investigating on vacuum insulated panels as home insulation?
Excellent well researched presentation. Thank you for your valuable contribution.
Products using reflective bubplewrap have been marketed for attics in hot climates for some time. Some fast-talking salesmen were trying to sell it to my brother in Phoenix for his attic, I told him to forget it and just get the regular blown in stuff. I have some issues with this. Since this kind of product is a low perm vapor barrier, miosture issues are a big potential. "if it can't dry, it's gonna die!" Is my mantra. In attics, I've seen failures of polyethylene over time, it can't take the heat and just falls into shreds by itself. agreed this might have some cool niche markets where space and weight are a premium. Continuous insulation on a wall which can dry to the other side might work. I'm really skeptical.
Interesting product and detailed commentary. I've installed and removed rockwool (ecowool) in Australia in one of my lives as a labourer and can see many advantages in the handling of this product. Trying to shift public sentiment would be the biggest challenge as you say, especially in such a conservative country like my own.
You're funny! Thanks for your research and presentation. Oh and high fashion suggestions too!
ive put this isolation on to the lower part of my windows since the cold streams low and heat goes high.. if you have cold windows in your hallways doublewrap it.. i use magnet tape to remove it in the summer.. 5 years and still works great, also alot less burning gas in the winter..
in older buildings it some towns of Japan they freeze bubble wrap onto windows in winter for added insulation. and when it warms up it slides right off
Yay! More plastic rather than extant materials that are more environmentally friendly.
How is that R value 'on the lower side'?
Per centimetre thickness, it is incredible!
... which it better be because it's so expensive 😅
single use.. great point. Plastic is VERY reusable. Great points!
Our local community hall was wrapped with a Reflectix product, then covered with siding. After spending $30,000, the heating bills have not fallen one bit. I spoke to an engineer about this and he said these reflective barriers are a scam, and no reputable contractor would ever use them. The actual R-value is generally accepted as being no more than 0.8 and I see that our local building supply place warns that no performance promises are being made. Spend your money on air-sealing and real insulation; don't be taken in by fly-by-night contractors!
I've heard of people already using just bubble wrap to insulate their windows.
I'm surprised to hear it's not commonly used. IIRC we foil-wrapped the house we built (10-15 yrs ago), the product looked similar but was bonded together as a continuous single layer. It was just part of the overall insulation tho, I think we also had fibre-batts in there too.
I live in a trailer with pretty bad insulation. Its actually pretty common to put aluminum foil on our windows here in Georgia. So i'm gonna look into finding or making a similar product and testing it out now that colder weather is coming. The windows and my closet all so much heat transfer its crazy. Putting my hand near the base of the door on my closet feels very cold. I'm gonna get some different sized bubblewrap with some foil and see how it works for small temporary insulation
It's great at reflecting heat, but also a conductor (like metals generally are). The bubble wrap is a poor conductor (air pockets and plastic). The combination allows it to work. Just aluminum foil on a surface would seem like a bad idea.
Check at a local Hardware store/DIY store if they have products like this. Look for radiator reflector / radiator foil and see if they have any with this system, they are thinner than what's talked about in the video, but it's also not used as the main insulation (I'm from The Netherlands, so things might be different there).
I have this (thinner version) on the wall behind a radiator, which a great place to use it, reflects heat and in the end saves heating cost.
I've come across this material a lot in van-life build videos.
That's really funny, I was in an insulation shop because I'm doing a van conversion and the guy there recommended some aluminum faced bubble wrap as insulation and I thought he was a clown and a con man... but apparently there's something to this.
What is the R-Value per INCH?
How long does it last?
Since it reflects heat, how much additional damage is done to the roof/shingles since they cannot cool as well?
The more air tight the building the more Radon Gas you have to worry about.
Vast majority of A/C systems are undersized. Builders put those in for cost cutting.
Given the choice I would go with foil backed foam board insulation.
Need a video that shows R value and cost for all types of insulation you have featured. This would help people make better choices more easily.
I used this in my garden cabin 3 years ago, just made it myself, it's just bubble wrap & foil, very cheap, but I wouldn't use this in a larger building due to it's lack of fire resistance.